Breakfast helps to shape your morning, and eating a well-balanced diet can help to fuel you for the day. Your breakfast should be two things: nourishing and sustaining. It also helps if it’s delicious!
I’ve always believed that a healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s so key to fuelling your body for anything you have planned for the day ahead whether you want to complete an intense workout or just maintain a good focus at work.
Keep reading for some of my favourite healthy breakfast recipes.
Why is breakfast so important?
Ever think of what “breakfast” means? Your body responds to not eating for hours and hours by slowing down its metabolic rate. By eating breakfast, you wake up your metabolism and get your engine humming, burning those calories you need to lose weight. Even if you plan to work out on an empty stomach in the morning, you should follow up with a healthy breakfast to kick your metabolism into gear.
Researchers have repeatedly shown that people who eat breakfast have a better chance of losing weight, and keeping it off. When you skip breakfast, you’re so hungry by lunchtime you want to eat WAY more then what you would normally! When you skip a meal, your body goes into fasting mode which increases your insulin response and in turn causes your body to store more fat.
A healthy breakfast helps your mood
People who do not eat breakfast can sometimes suffer from fatigue and irritability throughout the morning. Most people compensate for tiredness by drinking coffee – coffee is not breakfast! Tiredness generally makes people irritated and grumpy. Start your day on a positive note and eat a nutritious and filling breakfast!
Healthy breakfast recipes
Spicy chickpea Shakshuka
Eggs are one of my favourite foods at any time of day, but especially for breakfast! This Middle Eastern baked dish is rich, flavorsome and loaded with nutrients your body needs for a busy day. A chickpea Shakshuka is the perfect hot breakfast for the colder months and I love to eat it with some toasted rustic bread.
Spicy Chickpea Shakshuka Recipe
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 2
Dietary preferences: Vegetarian
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium brown onion, thinly sliced
- ½ large red capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- pinch of dried chilli flakes, to taste
- 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
- 100g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 50g low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
- small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 large eggs
- 2 slices sourdough bread, to serve
Healthy French Toast
Speaking of eggs, it’s hard to say no to French Toast for breakfast!
The great thing about French Toast is its versatility – you can have it sweet or savoury. Personally, I like to have it with fruit, cinnamon and a little Maple syrup.
While this recipe makes 1 serve, it’s easy to make more French toast to share with your loved ones as a weekend morning brunch.
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 1
Dietary preferences: Vegetarian, Dairy-free option, Nut-free
Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 125ml low-fat milk (or milk of choice)
- ground cinnamon, to taste
- oil spray
- 2 slices of rye bread
- 100g blueberries
- 125g strawberries, hulled and sliced
- pure maple syrup, to serve
- pinch of lemon zest, to serve
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are another fantastically versatile healthy breakfast option. They do require a little forward planning, but one huge advantage is that in the morning all you need to do is take them out of the refrigerator – no cooking required!
You prepare overnight oats by soaking the oats in your favourite milk overnight (or at least for 2-3 hours) and adding any toppings such as fruit, nuts, seeds, yoghurt or jam. I like mine with strawberries and pistachios.
If you’re not sure what overnight oats are, they are basically a no-cook method of preparing oats. Instead of cooking the oats on the stove, you soak the oats in milk. The milk is absorbed and the oats are left softened and ready to eat!
You can leave them to soak in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, but it is ideal and easier to prepare the night before. They are called overnight oats for a reason!
Basic Overnight Oats Recipe
Total time: 5 mins + overnight chilling time
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
- 60g rolled oats
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 125ml low-fat milk or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 tsp honey or pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Banana Pancakes
Pancakes always make for a quick, easy and delicious breakfast. But before you start loading up your stack with ice cream, maple syrup or lemon and sugar; they can be healthy too!
A simple, healthy and satisfying recipe for banana pancakes, made better with this delicious blueberry compote.
Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Compote Recipe
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: Makes 3 pancakes
Dietary preferences: Vegetarian, Nut-free
Ingredients:
- 60g low-fat plain yoghurt
- 1 banana
- 1 large egg
- 60g rolled oats
- 2-3 tbsp low-fat milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 100g low-fat plain yoghurt, to serve
Blueberry Compote
- 90g fresh blueberries
- ½ tbsp honey
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Porridge with Pear and Walnuts
Fruit is always a welcome addition to any breakfast, which is why I love this pear and walnut porridge so much. This is an easy way to get a variety of nourishing nutrients as well as flavours into your bowl first thing in the morning.
The sweetest way to warm up on a cold winter’s morning! Obsessed with this flavour combo, give it a try yourself! 🙂
Healthy Pear & Walnut Porridge Recipe
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 1
Dietary preferences: Vegetarian
Ingredients:
- ½ medium pear
- ½ tsp maple syrup
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- 10g walnuts
- ½ cup (125ml) low-fat milk
- 60g rolled oats
- 50g blueberries
Asparagus and Tomato Frittata
It’s so important to eat enough vegetables – they’re one of the best sources of so many nutrients your body likes – and breakfast is an often overlooked opportunity to eat them! A nice frittata like this asparagus and tomata frittata is a great opportunity to add some veg to your breakfast, and it’s the perfect dish for sharing when you have friends or family over for breakfast or brunch.
Did you know that asparagus is rich in potassium? It can be helpful to reduce bloating because it can counteract salty food, making it easier to balance the fluid levels in your body.
This recipe for Asparagus, Tomato and Caramelised Onion Frittata is definitely one you will want to bookmark!
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 8
Dietary preferences: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Ingredients:
- oil spray
- ¼ medium red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 8 large eggs
- 100g low-fat ricotta cheese
- 125ml low-fat milk
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
- 8 asparagus spears, trimmed
- 10 semi-dried tomatoes
Chocolate Protein Pancakes
Chocolate is perfect for a special treat or occasional easy snack (especially if it’s dark chocolate), but it can have sometimes be part of a healthy breakfast too. One way to get your chocolate fix at the breakfast table is with these chocolate protein pancakes. Serve with your choice of berries and maple syrup for a chocolatey breakfast treat!
Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
Dietary preferences: Vegetarian, Nut-free
Ingredients:
- 50g (½ cup) whole grain rolled oats
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 scoops of chocolate flavoured protein powder (optional)
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 60ml (¼ cup) low-fat milk or dairy-free milk of choice
- Fresh strawberries or raspberries, to serve
- Pure maple syrup, to serve
Black Rice Pudding
While any kind of rice might not immediately come to mind for breakfast, this black rice pudding provides a tasty alternative to more common breakfast grains like oats, and goes nicely with coconut milk and fruit. Try it with passionfruit and pomegranate seeds.
It might sound a little unusual to some of you. Trust me though, this is such a delicious breakfast recipe! It uses black rice, which has a rich, kind of nutty flavour. Perfectly matched with some coconut milk, this is a nice warm pudding, ideal for enjoying on a day off.
Black Rice Pudding Recipe
This recipe sounds complex but it is really quite simple to make. Let me know what you think!
Prep time: 5 mins + overnight soaking
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 35 mins + overnight soaking
Serves: 2
Dietary Preferences: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free
Ingredients:
- 100g black rice, soaked overnight in 500ml water
- 200ml coconut milk, plus extra to serve
- 125ml water
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 passionfruit, cut in half
- arils from ¼ pomegranate
- 80g papaya, sliced
- 30g coconut flakes, lightly toasted
- lime zest, to garnish.
Banana Caramel Oatmeal
I love this banana caramel oatmeal recipe because even though it’s still super simple, it gives you a totally different way to have your oats in the morning. If you haven’t had bananas this way before you’re in for a real treat!
Banana Caramel Oatmeal Recipe
Prep time: 3 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 1
Dietary preferences: Dairy-free option, Vegetarian
Ingredients:
- 100ml low-fat milk (or milk of choice)
- 200ml water
- 50g rolled oats
- 1 banana, sliced in half lengthways
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 20g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
5 more ways to make your breakfasts healthier
Making small changes can make your breakfast healthier and help to fuel your body for the day ahead. Here are five ways you can make breakfast better for you:
Add protein
Having a serving of protein in the morning can help you power through the morning. Not only does protein help keep you satisfied, but it may also help you feel more energised throughout the day. Eggs are a good choice for breakfast protein, because you can make them SO many different ways! For anyone who doesn’t like eggs, you can use Greek yoghurt, quinoa, oats or cottage cheese instead!
Include some healthy fats
We know there are different types of fats, including some healthy and unhealthy fats. When you include healthy fats in your breakfast, it can help your body absorb vitamins and may keep you feel satiated for longer. Healthy fats can also help to build cell membranes, prevent inflammation and some fat types also help with hormone regulation. To add healthy fats to your breakfast, try adding some avocado to your toast, or include nuts and seeds with your smoothie bowl.
Skip the processed options
While snack bars and pastries might be a faster breakfast fix, they aren’t exactly winning combinations. Because these tend to be highly processed, much of the nutritional value has been removed. Not only can this leave you feeling hungry again soon after eating, but processed foods can affect your mood too. Preparing breakfast the night before can help if you struggle with time in the morning.
Switch the fruit juice for the real thing
During juicing, some varieties of fruit juice remove the majority of the pulp, which can result in a glass of fruit-based sugar. While this is a natural form of sugar, it can cause a spike in your blood sugar and it’s often made using more than one serve of fruit. Opting for a piece of fruit instead means you also get a serve of fibre, which can help make that full feeling last. Plus fibre can help to lower cholesterol levels. Try adding fresh or frozen berries to your smoothie, or top your oats with fruit slices. If you can’t pass up a glass of juice, you can try switching to vegetable-based juices that use less fruit.
Watch your portion sizes
It is really easy to accidentally go over your recommended serving size, especially when breakfast looks amazing!
There are a couple of ways to still get the most out of your breakfast serving: serve it in a smaller bowl so that it looks bigger and sit down to eat. That way you give yourself time to enjoy the food as you go.
Make your breakfast worth waking up for!
A healthy breakfast can help to satisfy your appetite and give you energy to get through the day. If your breakfast could do with a makeover, then these healthy breakfast ideas and tips are a great place to start.
